Hospice Tree of Light campaign begins soon

Nov. 01--With the holidays on the horizon, Hospice of Wichita Falls is preparing for the annual Tree of Lights campaign.

Since 1985, the Hospice tree has lit up the night with thousands of lights -- each representing the memory of loved ones.

Jake Truette, Tree of Lights campaign manager, said this year's campaign will be similar to last year's with a goal of $200,000 and $10 each to light up a light on the tree.

The campaign will begin Nov. 21 with a lighting ceremony in the Sikes Senter parking lot at 6 p.m. The tree will be lit briefly to signal the beginning of the fundraiser, then it will be displayed with the lights off until the campaign goal is reached.

Volunteers will be at United Market Street, 4590 Kell West Blvd., everyday Nov. 24 through Dec. 15 from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. to accept Tree of Light donations.

There will be a radio promotion of the fundraiser on Dec. 15 from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. on 102.3 The Bull FM.

If the campaign goal is reached after the radio day, there will be another tree lighting ceremony at 6 p.m. on Dec. 15 -- this time the lights will remain lit every night through the holiday seasons.

Hospice has reached their Tree of Light goal every year since they began the annual campaign more than 30 years ago.

On 2015, Hospice cared for an average of 241 patients each day. In 2016, that number increased to 269 patients each day.

In 2015, the facility added palliative care services. They assist about 135 patients with a focus on alleviating stressors and managing symptoms.

Hospice CEO Alisa Echols said they are seeing an increase in younger patients and more patients that come to them without insurance or Medicare/Medicaid.

In the past year, they provided more than $500,000 in services for non-insured or under-insured patients. No one is ever denied hospice services due to lack of financial means.

The non-profit organization also offers support programs like Camp Grin Again for children; Wings of Hope, a monthly meeting for those who have suffered the death of a child; and weekly grief support groups.

Hospice said they have some exciting capital projects in the works for 2018, including plans for an expansion to their in-patience services area.

While going through the darkest of times, people say time and again that the Hospice staff became like a second family for them -- including Shelia Reynolds, who shared her Hospice story about the death of her mother at an event Tuesday.

Reynolds was already a board member for Hospice, but said she only came to know what the organization was really about when she went through the passing of her mother, Mildred Dinnin.

"Miss Mildred," as the nurses and staff came to know her, was a life-long learner and teacher.

A fighter, but also a realist, Dinnin told her daughter several times over the years that she was not afraid to die.

Reynolds said, as a Hospice board member, she told her mother often about the wonderful caretakers at the center.

One day when Dinnin was 85, she fell and went through a long rehabilitation process. While staying at Rolling Meadows, Dinnin asked for a referral to care at Hospice. She was told she did not qualify, because she was more than likely going to get better.

Reynolds said this was a testament that her mother understood the great care Hospice patients receive.

Her mother did improve and moved to her own apartment. Reynolds continued to check on Dinnin regularly.

In October 2016, Reynolds said her mother had not been feeling well. Dinnin was rushed by ambulance to United Regional Health Care System, where Reynolds said labs showed so many things wrong with her that doctors were amazed she was sitting upright.

Dinnin improved for a time, but her health took a turn. After a week in the hospital, the outcome was not looking well, and the family turned to Hospice.

Reynolds knew the 12-bed in patient area was nearly always full, but she said miraculously there was a room open for her mother.

While doctors told the family Dinnin only had a few hours to a few days to live, she stayed at Hospice for 21 days before passing away on Oct. 30, 2016.

When her mother died, Reynolds said she grieved not only for her mother, but also that she would be leaving the Hospice staff, who had become her friends and family during that difficult time.

"I cannot imagine what it would have been like without that room opening up," she said.